Reports emerged on Tuesday afternoon (UK time) Down Under claiming the Canaries could be prepared to make an approach for the 40-year-old, who worked alongside Dougie Freedman as his assistant at Selhurst Park for 15 months prior to returning to Australia.

The Sydney Daily Telegraph claim no official approach has yet been made from the Canaries for Popovic who is two years through a four-year contract.

Popovic has forged an impressive coaching reputation after steering his club to two grand finals and a Premier Plate in 2013, with Wanderers also looking to secure a quarter-final spot on Wednesday night in the Asian Champions League if they can overturn a 3-1 first leg defeat against Sanfrecce Hiroshima at Parramatta Stadium.

Wanderers finished the regular A-League domestic season in second place, 10 points behind Brisbane Roar to qualify for this season’s play-offs, but lost the grand final 2-1 to the Roar last week.

City’s top brass released a club statement following Sunday’s 2-0 Premier League defeat against Arsenal, which confirmed their relegation, that stated they aim to find a permanent successor to former boss Chris Hughton within a week.

Chief executive David McNally revealed they had drawn up a short list with three or four names on it. Ex-Cardiff City chief Malky Mackay has been heavily linked with the post since the end of the season, while Neil Adams had made no secret he was keen to carry on after his five-game stint in charge.

McNally also made it clear the Canaries were looking to change the management structure on the football side of the club, which could include a more experienced director of football role to work alongside a first team coach.

Popovic began his coaching career as an assistant at Sydney FC, where he remained until February 2011, before returning to England to work alongside Freedman until becoming Wanderers’ first coach. He was named A-League coach of the year after guiding them to the Premier Plate in 2013.

If it is Sherwood then kudos to pmd for getting it right because Sherwood is less qualified than Mackay. Only Mackay has proven his ability to get a club out of the Championship and into the Premier League. That is why they will choose him. I expect.

Pubmandave, I have always given you full kudos for getting the Holt thing right. I would be quite happy with Sherwood - he`s a feisty fellow, though I know Mattias isn`t keen - and I respect his views on footy. Also, Sherwood could come sans his own entourage, leaving the way open for Machianalli to build a new, fresh, vigorous management team, using a `Pick `n` Mix method. That might accommodate Neil Adams? Also, Culverhouse has been surgically separated from Lambo now... I`m not sure the vogue for `Packaged Management Teams` is very healthy. I sometimes wonder if Hughton might`ve made a fist of it with a decent No.2, like Cully. TrevorK:- ncfcboy, on another board, has suggested that this `support` for the mystery German is the work of 1p5wich mischief makers. Without or within Archant.... Also agree 100% with your sentiments on Club ownership etc.

Just read the latest bulletin from Archant whereby they are claiming 43% of fans want some German as the new manager, none of my friends have ever even mentioned this man and I for one will be demanding my season ticket money back if that is the way our club is going.

I`m hugely surprised and pleased that `banal` is an acceptable word to the b anal bores at Archant. So refreshing. I haven`t seen the Whipsnade & Norton Show for ages. Quality! I just wish Briston Parish Council would eject their Chairperson\Mayor complete with his\her Throne in the middle of the Royston Vasey (Norfolk) televised round (Mustard only) of the Eurovision Scone Contest.

At last we agree on something, Crocodile Putnee - you are as wan as Wandle Water. You are not all that dull, just totally devoid of humour, which qualifies you as a dullard. Anyway, you are not so much dull as banal.

I have to be very careful how I write this, as it appears that disclosing which premiership manager has been to Hetherset Lane twice in the past 4 days, puts this papers censor's nose out of joint, and my posts are pinged.
Tim Sherwood will be the next Norwich City manager - FACT.
And before you all laugh....Who told you about Chris Hughton a full week before this and other papers knew sqit ? Who told you Holt was leaving and to where a full month before he left ?
YES I did, and only one poster of this paper had the decency to admit it.
Sherwood is done deal and Neil Adams is talking with Southend

Can honestly say the work Popovic has done with Western Sydney has been nothing short of a miracle, they came into the competition last year wanting to be competitive and almost won it, the problem I see is he is definitely a defensive minded manager who has a philosophy on counter-attacking football and plays it well over here, but he's taken a bone thin squad through the Asian Champions League and almost won back to back titles in his defence.
That said Tim Sherwood for mine.

".....Steely Dan, Larsson E Whipsnade doesn't follow football, he's more into trolling.....".....says The Archant Troll himself John L Norton. Currently posting under at least 20 different names and with a back catalogue of hundreds of others to call on. A man who spends from early morrning until late at night on Archant forums , a fantasist....The Walter Mitty of Norfolk.

OzC, I only wish I was Ian Crook undercover as he had more talent than I could ever dream of being. I do not doubt your assessment of Australian football as such and when I coached down under, some of the youngsters coming through we highly talented but too many drift to other ball sports such as rugby and Aussie rules. One of the things holding Aussie football back is the lack of competition with other countries, our top clubs all play in the European competitions for example. My point was that most of the A League teams are around our division one standard in my opinion and I would rather see a new manager with English football experience take over the post at Norwich. I do not even want to see a manger from Europe come in to NCFC by the way and am not a fan of Lennon either but we are all entitled to an opinion on this site.

While the A-League is vastly improved its not lower Championship level. Not the games I watch on BT Sport anyway. Much lower. Not a knock on Popovic as a manager though but the standard is very poor for the most part. If players like Heskey can look Superstars it speaks volumes.

Buy one get one free from the A-League might have looked attractive when we were £20 M in debt and McNally was hinding behind the file cabinet when the creditors called, but I understand that those days are gone. We need someone with relevant experience, a strong work attitude and the personal charisma to take us forward. This is a make or break decison.

What next will they be staging Manager's Got Talent as a way to may the choice! Interesting difference of opinion between Adelaide and Oz. I agree that the world-wide standard is on the up and it maybe worth taking a pop at overseas managers, on this occasion I will turn into a nimby and hope we bring in someone with league experience as we need to hit the ground running next season. I like Dubai's tale of the old lady,perhaps the board should ask her opinion! OTBC

TK are you sure your not Crook? At least the club are taking a look around the world to see what talent is out there. Popo doesn't have the experience but the Wanderers are around the level of lower Championship. Just because it's far away and not England doesn't mean the standard is poor. Several of the experienced players like Heskey and Del Piero have agreed the game here is on the rise. Melbourne Victory lost 0-2 to a full Liverpool side containing Suarez in pre-season. They regularly get 26,000 at a game in AAMI Stadium. If you haven't seen the stadium you should take a look online. Liverpool rated the facilities better than their own. Man City recently brought Melbourne Heart as a feeder club due the wealth of young talent. It could be worse though, you could get Melbourne Victories manager Kevin Muscat!

It's a smokescreen while they tie up a deal with Mike Mulvey, manager of the team above Sydney, Brisbane Roar. He has an impressive 55% win ratio this season and a name ready made for a spoof movie where he goes on to manage England.

Calm down all. McN said something would be done within the week. This bloke hasn't yet been approached. There's no way this sort of appointment is made in less than a week. Who-ever we're after will already be well on the way to being done and probably has been in discussions since CH was sacked.

Johny - yours is the best post on this board. Made me chuckle (which is quite an acheivement considering how dull I am - just ask MB). Pubmandave - no apologies needed here - I really hope you're right. By far and away the best candidate we could hope to get. I really wouldn't understand appointing Malky. Seemed to me that Chris Hughton had two major failings: (i) he wasn't Paul Lambert; and (ii) he had a propensity towards dull, defensive, football. Malky ticks both of those boxes too. At least Mr Sherwood would give us back some attacking football.

Laugh, I nearly handed my fags round. However, if it is to be Malky why is it taking so long to appoint him? Possibly Popovic may have applied, along with others. Perhaps the club deliberately leaked the name to guage reaction? Looks like they got one. If we need a useless manager with Aussie experience we could get Terry Butcher.

Paddy. I can't believe I'm reading this. Looks like a google search gone badly wrong. We can't be serious. Difficult to see how "Tony" would unite the fans or persuade the players we want to keep to stay

When the Board appointed Lambert, many said Who is he, his call to fame was Wycombe Wanderers, walking out on every club he's managed, and a mate of Mc Nally from Celtic... and look at what he achieved, till the Club Peed him off and he walked, so maybe this half Aussie is the answer... or BIG SAM

I wouldn't be surprised if this is a classic left-field suggestion leaked by the club in order to mitigate any negativity coming from their eventual appointment. "Oh well, at least it wasn't Popovic" we cry.

Was I the one you thought apologised, PMDave? Unlikely, `cos I never `dissed` your stuff anyway. Unlike the Happy Claptrappers, I am willing and able to consider all opinions. Btw, Ruddy is going nowhere. Holt is coming back. Hughton has got a job modelling pullovers for Premier Man. Chris Martin is now Scottish - Chruss McBeccles. Leroy Fer can just bu99er off. I dread the thought of seeing Calderwood in his Burger King outfit.

Just read the hilarious article on BBC Sports about the Ipswich Town fan's failed plan to fly a banner over Carrow Road last Sunday. Apparently they couldn't get "We're Gonna Lose 9-2 Again" to fit onto the banner - muppets !!

I have been looking at the betting and Mackay is
1-3 on, are they being serious, he has a 38.8 win percentage and that is dour and will keep NCFC is the championship forever. Zola's is even worse at 36.13 and as for Lennon, now that's nothing more than a joke, he manages the richest team in the Micky Mouse league with no competition. There are big names being banded about, but when you look at all the stats, Hughtons were far better and look where he got us? I think we have a far better chance with Adams in charge as the rest really look like no hoper's on paper.

I dont usually post but after reading some really comedy comments i feel i must. Our biggest mistake was in hiring a defensive manager, one who has little idea about attack just check his playing record. Hence he bought strikers who could not hit a barn door from 3 feet. Now we need an attacking manager, not another defensive one as in malky or popovic, i'll put my money where my mouth is and say we need Tim Sherwood, ex-canary. Yes it was over 20 yrs ago but he did get his best goal ratio of his career 10 in 71 as a canary player. I cant see many players not wanting to play under him so as an option i'd say hes the bext on paper at present... and a great premier season he's had too regardless of him being sacked.

Would that be the same board who at chrismas decided to keep CH as manager and arguably cost the budgies premier league status I and most budgies if they were honest think you have every reason to panic..........(off the ball city)

Dont panic!!! Can anyone really see the board employing a nobody to manage the team?? But then again, everyone was up in arms when we got Mr Lambert in, id trust Mr M if he did come in, would need someone who knows the league to assist him though. Loads of names will be mentioned before the end of the week, just sit back and wait and see. Dont Panic!!!

I hope they appoint someone soon, if only to stop insane journalistic flights of fantasy like this article by Paddy Davitt. I fear that Malky may turn out to be Hughton Mark 2. Am I the only one who thinks M. Phelan would be a fine Manager?

Mick McCarthy was at the Tesco Ipswich Extra the other day when he saw an old lady having trouble pushing her shopping trolley up a ramp. Mick says to the old lady, ‘Can you manage dear’? The old lady turns on Mick and said ‘You must be joking - they are your shower of useless numpties, and you are responsible for the awful state of football at the club – I can’t believe that you think I would want to have anything to do with them’ !!

This is unfair to Stephen Fry. It is an open secret in Norwich that with his detailed knowledge of football and his close connections to the club he is the agreed choice of the Board although they have to create a public appearance of considering other candidates.

......I suppose something has to be put into the newspapers!....and some think Adams hasn't got enough experience!..... Nevertheless it made the Tea Lady come out of hiding ...even if she is wearing a different coat!....Take it from me ' Holt is not going anywhere'!.....

This is really worrying, although I know nothing about him. Our board does not sound like it is up to running a Championship club, and just got lucky with Lambert. There must be huge risks here with no current U.K. experience.

Agree TK. I watch a lot of MLS and maybe thats why im not keen on the A-League. The MLS isnt brilliant but much improved. Dont get me wrong but MLS & the A-League are improving but when it comes to the home grown players general technical ability its lacking far behind. Would worry me like you say having an inexperienced coach like popovic take charge.

Matt, I also coached in Sydney, by that I mean I was actually the manager in English terms, the football there is not as bad as you may think but is probably around our division one quality. However, for me this man does not therefore have the experience we need at Championship level, he will know a few half decent Aussies that might make the grade but as I have stated before, I would much rather we go with a British coach who will promote local talent rather than risk money on international journey men.

@JMH NO!!!! Literally laughed so much reading that! Wont claim to be an expert in A-League football but i've watched enough on BT Sport to know I wouldnt endorse anyone coming from that league to take over our club!